Wand

Silas returned to the exclusive "practice room" on the eighth floor of Hogwarts Castle, eager to test the power of his new wand. He rubbed the warm acacia wood wand, feeling the energy within resonate with his own, his heart filled with anticipation.

"Alright, let's try guiding it with the wand. Will it be less effort or more powerful?"

He faced a brand-new straw dummy again, took a deep breath, and thrust the wand forward like a fencer, shouting, "Claws of Denak!"

Swish--!

A solidified golden orb of light, the size of a fist, shot out from the tip of the wand at considerable speed, striking the dummy's chest with precision!

Bang!

The dummy collapsed, a deep, charred hole blasted in its chest. The power was indeed impressive.

However, Silas frowned slightly as he looked at the result. He touched his chin and analyzed to himself, "Hmm... in terms of power, compared to casting it directly without a wand, it seems... not much different? The energy consumption is about the same. And..."

He compared the feeling from earlier: "Using the wand to cast it, it feels like it's missing that sense of effortless fluidity. Instead, because the wand acts as an 'intermediary' to conduct and shape the energy, the casting speed seems to be a few hundredths of a second slower? Most importantly, the pose isn't as cool as me conjuring a light orb with my bare hands!"

He habitually waved his hand, and an equally sized Denak light orb instantly formed and shot out, tracing a more agile arc and knocking another dummy to the ground.

[...] The system seemed to be choked by his peculiar thought process before reluctantly speaking, [Big brother... this wand thing is mainly for you to cast the regular system magic of this world! Like those spells Hogwarts will teach you! Who told you to use it as an amplifier for your secret arcane energy? It shares the same origin as your Vishanti energy, so it's good that it can be transmitted smoothly. You're not expecting it to give you a super boost, are you?]

Silas blinked, suddenly enlightened: "Oh, right! I almost forgot about that!"

He immediately became interested, wanting to test the wand's effect on regular magic. He raised his wand and clearly recited the incantation: "Lumos!"

At the same time, he snapped his fingers with his other hand, guiding his arcane energy with his mind.

The next moment, an interesting phenomenon occurred--

The tip of the wand held in his right hand suddenly erupted with an extremely dazzling ball of light, like a small sun, illuminating the entire dim classroom as bright as day, practically like a flashbang! The light was stable and intense, a textbook-level "Lumos" effect.

Meanwhile, his left palm emitted a soft, stable white light, but its brightness was significantly lower, like a decent outdoor flashlight. Although it was also bright, compared to the "little sun" at the tip of the wand, it appeared humble and unpretentious.

"Whoa! Such a clear difference?" Silas compared the light from his left and right hands, finding it very interesting. "It seems that in the Harry Potter system, a wand is indeed standard equipment. Without a wand, many spells will either have greatly reduced effects or won't work at all."

He tried a few more simple spells, like "Wingardium Leviosa" to make a quill float. With the wand, the quill floated lightly; trying it bare-handed, the quill only trembled and fell back to the desk after rising a few inches at most.

"I understand," Silas concluded, casually dispelling the magic. "From now on, I'll use my own arcane energy for fighting, and this wand for classes and homework. It's good, clear division of labor."

He skillfully twirled the new wand on his fingertips before putting it away with satisfaction. To him, this wand was more like a "pass" to integrate into the Hogwarts magical society and a "homework tool," while his true power still came from himself and his ever-growing skill tree. He felt he could completely handle this "dual system" operation.

A few days later, one evening, Silas was summoned to the Headmaster's office. Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk, savoring a plate of lemon sherbet, while Fawkes dozed on his perch.

"Ah, Silas, you're here," Dumbledore smiled and gestured for him to sit. "I wanted to discuss something with you. About the start of term tomorrow... I think you can travel to school on the Hogwarts Express with the first-year new students."

Silas, who had just picked up a piece of candy Dumbledore pushed towards him, froze upon hearing this. His face showed an expression of absurd disbelief, as if asking, Are you kidding me?

"Mr. Headmaster," Silas put down the candy, his tone full of confusion, "What am I supposed to do on that clunky, slow train? Admire the Scottish Highlands scenery along the way? With that time, I could open a portal and be there in a second, and still get some extra sleep."

He simply couldn't understand this "waste of time" ritual. In his view, efficiency was paramount. Why bother squeezing onto a train when convenient magic was available? It was asking for trouble.

Dumbledore's bright blue eyes twinkled with gentle wisdom behind his half-moon spectacles. He gently shook his head, "My child, starting school isn't just about reaching a destination. It's a process, a cherished memory. Traveling by express train, passing through the countryside, meeting the companions you'll spend seven years with, watching the familiar city recede and the castle grow larger in your vision... this process filled with anticipation is itself a part of learning magic."

His voice held a hint of nostalgia, "I will never forget the day I officially started school, the smell of snacks and coal smoke mixed in the carriage, the scenery flying past the window. And," he chuckled, wrinkles appearing at the corners of his eyes, "it was on that train that I met my lifelong friend—Mr. Eliphas Doge. A great friendship often begins with a chance journey together."

Silas looked at the genuine, fond memories on Dumbledore's face and swallowed the retort that was about to escape his lips. He understood Dumbledore's intention: he wanted Silas to experience a "normal" enrollment process and integrate into the collective, rather than remaining a maverick "outsider."

He sighed. Although he found it a bit troublesome, he had to give the old Headmaster face. Besides, thinking about it carefully, perhaps... something interesting might happen on the train? For example, witnessing the first meeting between the Boy Who Lived and his red-haired friend with his own eyes?

"Alright, alright," Silas raised his hands in surrender. "You're right, the process is important. I'll be at King's Cross Station on time tomorrow morning, and I'll go through that... magical platform."

Dumbledore nodded with satisfaction and offered him another lemon sherbet. "Very good. I believe it will be an interesting journey. The candy tastes good, try some?"

Silas took the candy, already contemplating whether to spend the time on the train reading his copy of Advanced Potion-Making or just sleep through the journey. As for making friends? It would be fate; he didn't hold out much hope for it anyway. However, since he had agreed, he would experience this so-called "tradition."